Tom Petty - Bio, Net Worth, Height

ORIGIN
Tom Petty was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and music producer. He was the lead vocalist/guitarist for the rock band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. He was also a member of the supergroup ‘Traveling Wilburys’ and the country-rock band ‘Mudcrutch’. Petty was one of the best-selling music artists of all time with more than 80 million records sold. His discography includes Damn the Torpedoes (1979), Into the Great Wide Open (1991), Full Moon Fever (1989), and Wildflowers (1994). Thomas Earl Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida. His parents were Earl and Kitty. He had a younger brother named Bruce. He attended Gainesville High School before dropping out to pursue music.

CAREER
Petty’s early music influences included Elvis Presley and the Beatles. In fact, he met Presley in person when he was 10-year old. He received guitar lessons from musician Don Felder at a young age. Petty created his first band ‘Mudcrutch’ in the early 1970s. He served as their frontman and songwriter. The group was active from 1970 to 1975. They regrouped in 2007 after a 30+ years hiatus. Their self-titled debut album, Mudcrutch, was released in 2008 by Reprise Records. It included tracks like “Shady Grove”, “Six Days on the Road” and “Scare Easy”. They released two more projects on the Reprise label, Extended Play Live (2008) and 2 (2016).

Petty formed the rock band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ in Gainsville, Florida, in 1976. The original members included Mike Campbell on guitar, Ron Blair on Bass, Stan Lynch on drums, and Benmont Tench on keyboards. Their self-titled debut album was released in November 1976 by Shelter Records. It achieved Gold certification with tracks like “Breakdown” and “American Girl”. The group’s third album, Damn the Torpedoes, peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. It was certified 3x Platinum in the U.S. and 2x Platinum in Canada. The album spawned songs like “Refugee”, “Here Comes My Girl” and “Don’t Do Me Like That”. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released 13 studio albums between 1976 and 2014. Select projects include Hard Promises (1981), Southern Accents (1985), Let Me Up (1987) and Into the Great Wide Open (1991). Their latest album, Hypnotic Eye, was released in July 2014 atop the Billboard 200. It received a Grammy Award nomination for best rock album.

Petty also had a successful career as a solo artist. His debut solo album, Full Moon Fever, was released in April 1989 by MCA Records. The album was a mega-hit with more than 5 million copies sold worldwide. It was certified 5x Platinum in the U.S. and 6x Platinum in Canada. The album produced 7 singles including “Free Fallin”, “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “I Won’t Back Down”. Petty’s second album, Wildflowers, was released in November 1994 by Warner Bros. Records. The lead single “You Don’t Know How It Feels” peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. His third and final solo album, Highway Companion, was released in July 2006 by American Recordings. It produced two singles “Saving Grace” and “Square One”. Petty won 3 Grammy Awards, 3 MTV Video Music Awards, a Radio Music Award, and a Billboard Music Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. He’s collaborated with musicians like Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison.

In addition to music, Petty was an actor. His film debut was a cameo in FM (1978). He made another cameo in Made in Heaven (1987) starring Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis. He was featured in several episodes of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show (1987-90) alongside Garry Shandling. Petty had a supporting role as Bridge City Mayor in The Postman (1997). The film was directed, produced, and stars Kevin Costner. Petty was featured on an episode of The Simpsons in 2002. He voiced the character Elroy “Lucky” Kleinschmidt for the animated series King of the Hill (2004-09).

PERSONAL
Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017, at the age of 66. His reported cause of death was an accidental drug overdose. He was hospitalized at the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California, at the time of his death. He was reportedly taken off life support when he showed no signs of brain activity. Petty was about 5ft 9in tall and he was of English, Scottish, Dutch, Irish and Welsh ancestry. His net worth was estimated at $95 million. He was married to his first wife ‘Jane Benyo’ from March 1974 to September 1996. They had two daughters, Adria and Kimberly. Petty wed his second wife ‘Dana York’ in June 2001. He’s survived by his wife and his two daughters.

Tom Petty Real Name, Birthday, Wiki

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